Get Outside!

Caprock Canyons State Park.

©TPWD, Glen Mills

Texas and the great outdoors–they just naturally go together. Hiking and camping in Big Bend National Park is a must-do with miles of rugged landscape winding along the Rio Grande River to explore. Or there’s always biking, kayaking, or hiking in one of the many state parks, not to mention the endless swimming holes to discover for a nice place to cool off and rest for a spell.

Other Natural Wonders

• The Panhandle Plains region attracts people from far and wide to its gorgeous sunsets and dramatic vistas. A perfect example of this legendary landscape is Caprock Canyon State Park. The area’s fascinating human history can be traced back 10,000 years, from the Indians to Spanish explorers, white settlers, and present-day visitors. Equestrians and cyclists who have discovered the network of trails that meander through sunset-colored canyons would prefer to keep this 64-mile secret to themselves.
• Get out those binoculars and head for the Rio Grande Valley! Birders from all over the country have long been aware that what they’ll find in this spot is sure to be a boon to their life list. Bentsen–Rio Grande Valley State Park in Mission richly deserves its status as headquarters of the World Birding Center, which comprises nine sites from South Padre Island to Roma. Here, in deep South Texas, you’ll spot birds found nowhere else in the United States—and maybe even come across a “Mexican vagrant” (a rare special visitor from across the river).
• Out in the Big Bend region, Guadalupe Mountains National Park is widely recognized for its imposing peaks, but adventurers know it as a blessedly undiscovered place full of surprises. Pack a camera to capture some of its stunning scenery. Wildlife include elk, big-eared mule deer, mountain lions, black bears, tarantulas, rattlesnakes, and for anglers, the state’s only reproducing rainbow trout.
• A few miles outside Boerne, the Cave Without a Name may be the best-kept secret among Texas’s show caves. Filled with spectacular stalactites, stalagmites, and other formations like soda straws and cave drapery, this cave is a source of many wondrous sights. Visitors will also be happy with the cave’s cool temperatures, which hover at about 66 degrees year-round.
• Deep within the Piney Woods of East Texas is a place so rare and unusual that even the most seasoned travelers will discover something new here. An unlikely biological crossroads, the Big Thicket National Preserve is where forests, plains, and bogs meet in one amazing place. Here, ferns, orchids, insect-eating plants, and rare reptiles and birds all coexist. So will you choose to traverse the blackwater swamps in a canoe or hike the arid sandhills on foot? Fish or birdwatch? Bicycle or take a horseback ride? The possibilities are endless on these 97,000 acres near Woodville and Beaumont.
• Just a quick drive from McAllen along the banks of the lower Rio Grande is the Santa Ana National Wildlife Refuge. Home to about 400 different species of birds, as well as more than 300 butterfly species, this is a nature lover’s delight. Zebra longwings, Julias, and Mexican bluewings can be found in the butterfly garden. Wildlife like bobcats, coyotes, and long-tailed weasels are in the area, as well as other rare animals. You may even spot an endangered ocelot or jaguarundi!